NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WOOD) — In less than an hour early Wednesday, police say, clerks at a Norton Shores convenience store and gas station were threatened at gunpoint.

The first incident happened around 12:15 a.m. in the parking lot of Ozzie’s Party Store in the 1300 block of E. Broadway Avenue near Worden Street, according to the Norton Shores Police Department.

Police say a suspect pointed a handgun at a party store clerk and tried to rob him. When the clerk said he didn’t have any money, the would-be robber took off.

The suspect was described as a young Hispanic male wearing a light-colored hooded sweatshirt and wearing a black bandana over his face. He was last seen driving a silver Chevy Blazer, police said. The clerk who the suspect tried to rob said there may have been a second person in that SUV.

The second incident happened just before 1 a.m at a Shell gas station located in the 4100 block of Grand Haven Road near Airport Road — about two miles from the first incident.

A clerk at the gas station told police a man came into the store and threatened him with a handgun, police said. The robber told the clerk to put the money from the cash register into a bag. He got away with an undisclosed amount of cash.

In that case, the suspect was described as a 5-foot-10, 160- to 170-pound white man with pale skin with a “skinny” build. He was wearing a gray, zip-up hooded sweatshirt, black jeans, black shoes, black leather gloves and a black baseball cap. He was also wearing a white bandana with black markings as a mask. The suspect was last seen driving a tan Chevy Blazer eastbound on Airport Road.

If you have any information about either incident, please contact the Norton Shores Police Department at 231.733.2691 or Silent Observer at 231.72.CRIME (27463).

WOOD TV8 provides commenting to allow for constructive discussion on the stories we cover. In order to comment here, you acknowledge you have read and agreed to our Terms of Service. Commenters who violate these terms, including use of vulgar language or racial slurs, will be banned. Please be respectful of the opinions of others. If you see an inappropriate comment, please flag it for our moderators to review.